Triangle Trade In Early America

Once America was discovered many European countries could only focus on one thing, gold. Gold was the common currency of the world, and it was believed that the New World was abundant with the precious metal. This builds the foundation of America on mercantilism, more money in the colonies meant more power for the mother countries. The hunt for gold attracted not only countries, but companies like the Virginia Company. Although some focused on gold, others viewed America as a new religious start. Everyone that came to the new world was seeking a better life; colonization was the beginning of the American dream. The religious groups and gold prospectors over time join together and create the thirteen original colonies.

Jamestown, founded in 1607 is considered to be the first permanent settlement in North America. The Virginia Company started Jamestown to find gold. Without finding gold, the colonist had no form of economic …show more content…
The trans-Atlantic trade is a complex series of trade routes between Europe, Africa, and the Americas, but can be simplified into triangle trade. Triangle trade has three major routes with three major trade items. The route from America carried molasses to Europe, which was made into rum. Rum was carried from Europe to Africa to buy slave. From Africa slaves were sent to America to produce more raw goods, this route is known as the Middle Passage. Many Africans died while crossing the Middle Passage. Those who survived the rough journey were sold to wealthy landowners. The landowners taught their slave about christianity, christian songs, and supplied them with the food grown locally. The Africans put their culture with what the landowners had shown them and what emerged was African-American Culture. The African-American population was originally five-hundred -thousand. African-Americans made up twenty percent of the population in the thirteen original colonies by